Empire of Subotai
The Empire of Subotai was an empire that existed before the time of Shardfall on the northwest coast of Vhir. History Founding They weaved about each other. Black and green. Life and Death. Vengeance and Justice. Authority and Charity. They were eternal and unyielding but in the gap between them awaited perfection. - Words of the First Emperor of Subotai The Empire was founded by an exiled clan of Zelfolk. The clan traveled northwest beyond the mountains as demanded by the magistrates and enforced by the Faceless. They journeyed to the forests in the northwest and found an ancient and mighty arena. Two enormous snakes lived within. The two naga were locked in an endless conflict that shifted seamlessly between battle and debate. Ophus was of red and black scale. Ophus spoke of the evils of the world and the frailty of trust. He was hateful and avaricious. Aphis was gentle green as the jungle. Aphis welcomed the travellers and saw to their needs. He spoke of the wisdom to guide others. He insisted that order could outweigh the evil of men. - Words of the First Emperor of Subotai The Zel, entranced by the insight, strength of will and magical prowess of the two creatures saught to study under them. The clan patriach declared they were the Empire of Subotai, named for the Sages of Subotai and that he was their first emperor. The hall of Subotai became their new home and the nagas formed the basis of their new philosophy. Empire Emergent The first emperors oversaw the construction of the city of Subotai. The Subotans took slaves from the native people and drew power from the naga. The philosophy of the Sages shifted to religion as successive emperors paid devotional homage to the nagas and their ancestors who formed the first iteration of their outlook. After their time of exile had passed the third emperor sent a delegation to return to Zel. Relations were strained at first though the Subotan persisted with proselytizers and tradesfolk, bringing in new blood and bartering their food surplus for more slaves and refined goods. The Form of the Master The fourth emperor of the Subotai River became obsessed with the notion of adopting the form of the naga to better understand and represent their philosophy. He appointed all the wise men of his court to set to work to pursue this transformation. After dozens of years the sorcerers completed their ritual. The emperor was rebuilt in ophidian form. He decreed that his new appearance was the Form of the Masters or Yuan-ti and that other creatures were the Form of the Unworthy. The emperor granted the new form to his'' family and court. The Form of the Slave The seventh emperor of Subotai needed more workers to continue to expand the empire. As a mighty sorcerer and high priest of their religion he devised a conversion ritual that lead to the creation of the xhihiran race. The secrets of their creation were lost when the seventh emperor was assassinated by the eighth emperor. The eighth emperor decreed that the xhihiran were the ''Form of the Slave which was the only form lower than the Unworthy. The ninth emperor founded the slave colony and prison of Vis farther north as part of a grand design to expand Subotai. The Qiji and Collapse While the events leading to the Qiji Incursion were unknown to the Subotai they were spared no quarter by the Qiji. Their armies eventually overode the Great Hall of Subotai. They slew the emperor and did battle with Ophus and Aphis. While the two beasts were known to be immortal, a qiji prince with a shard of an old power struck them and their two bodies were sealed in stone. With the emperor and naga slain the Empire of Subotai fell to chaos as the invader ran amok.Category:Vhir Category:Zelfolk Category:Xhihiran Category:Subotai Category:Naga Category:Qiji